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Clement's about-face mollifies petitioner

It seems Tony Clement's non-apology apology was enough for at least some of the people who were mad at him.

Clement admitted last week to making "boneheaded" comments about CVRD's purchase of Inco. His mea culpa was a result of the uproar he caused two weeks ago in an interview with The Sudbury Star.

The industry minister appeared to be backing Vale when he said Sudbury would have been the "Valley of Death" if the company hadn't bought Inco. The comment sparked local outrage and prompted two petitions demanding an apology.

Barbara Ackland managed to collect 500 names in 1 1/2 days on her petition. But Ackland decided to end her drive following Clement's admission.

"I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve -- recant the comments, which he did," she said Monday.

"I think we have to leave the ball in our mayor's hands. He's the bus driver. We elected him and I'm going to trust him moving forward."

Ackland said she will be turning over the petition to New Democrat MP Glenn Thibeault, and said that people who still want to sign the petition can do so though his office.

"I want to thank the people who signed it," she said.

Ackland's petition demanded an apology from Clement. She also wanted the minister to prove he cares about the Nickel Capital and its citizens.

In her petition to the House of Commons, Linda Lavoie Bouffard calls on Clement to "officially apologize for his comments and confirm the federal government is doing what it can to support the City of Greater Sudbury."

Although not going as far as offering an apology, Clement said he wanted to make it clear he is "committed to working with civic leaders in Sudbury for economic development and for the betterment of the lives" of Sudburians.

Lavoie Bouffard could not be reached for comment on Clement's latest comments.

But in an open letter sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Lavoie Bouffard called on the federal government to take Vale to task for what it is doing in Greater Sudbury.

"I want to express my outrage over Vale's decision to undermine the family-supporting incomes that sustain communities of Sudbury and Port Colborne," she wrote.

"I also want to express my deep frustration over the apparent inability of Industry Canada to require foreign investors to provide a 'net benefit to Canada' when they acquire Canadian companies. In the case of Vale, it appears foreign investors are not even held to their promises.

"Vale's actions are hurting Canadian communities and I am deeply concerned by this."

Lavoie Bouffard also said in the letter than she believes Vale is using the current economic climate as a fake excuse to try to force deep, long-term contract concessions with its workers.

"I urge you to take steps to ensure that, in the future, when a Canadian company is sold, there actually is a net benefit to Canada," she wrote.

"I urge you to take steps to ensure that Vale be held accountable to their commitments and that you ensure that other foreign investors will not renege on their promises. One way in which all of this could have been prevented is not to allow the sale of our natural resources to foreign investors; they should remain in Canadian control."

The petition is the second one to arise from Clement's Valley of Death comment.